We all love Shining Force (duh) and it's certainly a classic of its genre but if you were going to objectively judge how great it is overall how should it be remembered? Would it make the top 10 Megadrive games? Do any of you even think it's the greatest ever Megadrive game? Is it perhaps a bit underrated?

Judge others not by their actions but why they do it.Judge yourselfby your actions not why you do it.

Judge others not by their actions but why they do it.Judge yourselfby your actions not why you do it.

For me it is not only in the top 10 of MegaDrive/Genesis games but definitely in the Top 5 of all games ever. I fell in love with it as kid when it came out, and I am still loving and playing it now at an age of 36.

In a MegaDrive/Genesis Top 10 it would be Nr. 1 (and Shining Force 2 would be Nr. 2 followed by Landstalker)

Thanks for the replies. I think SF would make my top 10 Megadrive list too but exactly how high I really can't decide. The Megadrive has so many great games that I'd actually have some difficulty making a top 10 Megadrive list, it really was one of the greatest consoles ever.I think one thing we can say is that in terms of the TBS Role Playing genre there was nothing to touch it at the time and to me it's a game that remains just as playable now as it was back then.

Judge others not by their actions but why they do it.Judge yourselfby your actions not why you do it.

Judge others not by their actions but why they do it.Judge yourselfby your actions not why you do it.

I may be the outcast here from the other comments thus far, but I don't think I'd be able to put it in my Top 10 because of Shining Force 2. Granted there are some things I prefer in the first game, and can revisit either one at any time and have a blast, I just feel like SF2 is objectively a superior game with a wider variety of characters (both allies and enemies), a more fleshed out story with a vaster world to explore, more polished combat, and a wider variety of customization thanks to the special promotions and some of the more unique and interesting weapons. Because of that, I don't see myself putting Shining Force in my Top 10 Genesis List because SF2's superiority disqualifies it considering there being plenty of other games that also deserve to be ranked so prestigiously as to not warrant having two games on the list that are so similar.

If anything, I would put Shining Force as an honorable mention on those aforementioned grounds.

Funkymonk wrote:Yes I think Sonic 2 would be on everyone's top 10 list and probably Streets of Rage 2 as well.

Maybe when I was younger, but I'm not 100% about now. Especially Sonic 2. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing game. It's just that as the years went on, I started having less interest in platformers that are primarily just running and jumping the likes of Sonic, and Mario. You run and jump in all platformers, so I feel as though I need something more out of them than that. A weapon to fight with, or some other sort of gameplay mechanic that expands upon that base concept. Even something as simple as Lion King I think I would put over Sonic 2 today because while it's mostly running and jumping, you have a little bit more going for it than that with the roar attack, ledge climbing, the eventual slash, and even permanent stat upgrades you can find in stages to make it feel like I'm doing more than just the bare minimum of what makes a game a platformer.

Of course, I'm just generalizing here, as I'm well aware of the plentiful quantities of variety in Sonic 2 found in its level design, gimmicks, and enemies, and I can still pick up the game any day and have a blast. This is just how I've grown to feel about platformers as a whole, and thus have a hard time praising either Sonic or Mario as I once did.

@DomingoRules! I think what you've got bored of is precisely what I love about games from that era - they were just about pure gameplay and fun. As much as like todays deeper and more nuanced games like Fallout 4 or the cinematics and plots of game like The Last of Us there's still a part of me that still likes the more simple charms of the 16 Bit era.

Judge others not by their actions but why they do it.Judge yourselfby your actions not why you do it.

Judge others not by their actions but why they do it.Judge yourselfby your actions not why you do it.

Funkymonk wrote:@DomingoRules! I think what you've got bored of is precisely what I love about games from that era - they were just about pure gameplay and fun. As much as like todays deeper and more nuanced games like Fallout 4 or the cinematics and plots of game like The Last of Us there's still a part of me that still likes the more simple charms of the 16 Bit era.

That's totally incorrect. Games back then were way more fun in a much more pure form than games nowadays. Yes, modern games are entertaining, but not in the same way. They're more immersive with their stories and graphics, but with all their fluff they lose sight of how older games were able to get so much raw fun out of what little they offered. In my post, I was only comparing 16-bit games to other 16-bit games, and nothing more, for honestly I feel like it's unfair to judge games from one generation by those of another because each generation's games are a totally different kind of experience. I'm talking about comparing something like Sonic or Mario to games like Ghosts 'n Goblins, ActRaiser, Rocket Knight Adventures, and Mega Man. Games that take that run and jump formula, and just simply do so much more with it that it makes (to me) games like Mario and Sonic feel stale or uninspired even for their time.

That being said, Sonic 1 and 2 were among my most played and beloved games as a kid. It's just that as I've gotten older, I find myself gravitating more towards platformers (both new and old alike) that are more than just running and jumping. I want a weapon, or some other kind of gameplay mechanic that's a constant, and not just a stage gimmick to make the gameplay more than just running around and jumping on enemies at its core.

Lobo, my argument is simple - I havn't met anyone who had a Megadrive who doesn't consider it one of the best games on that system if not all time. When people talk about the Megadrive or the 16Bit era one of the very first things they mention is Sonic; it's not just an amazing game it's also a seminal pop culture icon that defined an era. Of course, you're always going to get an exception like yourself. Games like any art is about opinion.

Judge others not by their actions but why they do it.Judge yourselfby your actions not why you do it.

Judge others not by their actions but why they do it.Judge yourselfby your actions not why you do it.

I like Sonic, don't get me wrong.But rate it #1 or #2 from a console with so many epic games?I'm not sure if it would make the Top Ten in fact.

By the time I got my Mega Drive, in January of 1992, Sonic was the recognized as the greatest game (soon to be the greatest franchise) of the console.As much as I liked the game and plataformers in general, I had a preference for RPGs, racing and sports games.I chose Super Monaco GP as my first cartridge. Played that a lot!In time I got a good set of RPGs like: D&D, Might and Magic, Shining Force I/II, Phantasy Star IV...Along with sorted sport games from NHL, NBA and FIFA series.

By the time Sonic 2 was released, I rented the cartridge and had much fun playing it. But never clicked me to buy it.So, though I have it as a great game, if I take what I felt and how I feel about it, I don't think it would make Top 10 after all.

It really bugs me seeing that you believe it would be everyone's Top 2.I mean, each person must have different Top 2 as there were so many awesome games.I can't name my Top 2 myself! Though I know half of it! hehe

DomingoRules! wrote:I'm sure there's somebody out there who owned a Genesis, but hated Sonic.

Aye. Sonic never clicked for me so I didn't bother getting myself my own copy for my Genesis, even. It may be a classic but it doesn't really appeal to me from any of the ones I've played.

Funkymonk wrote:...my argument is simple - I havn't met anyone who had a Megadrive who doesn't consider it one of the best games on that system if not all time.

Now you have. Widen your circle a bit.And you can't pull your 'new games' argument with me, as Shining Force 1 and Kid Chameleon are my favorite games of all time, period. Both of which are Genesis games. I personally find Kid Chameleon to be a strictly better and more interesting platformer than Sonic.

Tyadran - Modding Sega Genesis games since 2013.Check me out on YouTube.

Tyadran - Modding Sega Genesis games since 2013.Check me out on YouTube.